Marichelle Roque-Lutz, a resident of New Holland, has written "The House by the Beach." The novel, based on Roque-Lutz's family on her mother's side, mixes fiction and truth and is set in Cuyo, an island in the Philippines.

The story spans four generations, starting in the final years of Spanish rule and ending in the 1960s, and is a portrait of a family's love, sacrifice, and enduring struggle to make sense of its past. At the center of the story is Carlos, a man whose actions leave a trail of pain, misery, and consequences that his family has to carry. Lupe, a daughter who immigrates to the U.S., endeavors to write her family's story and deal with her father's complexities as she builds a new life in Manheim Township.

"The House by the Beach" is on its second printing. People may purchase copies of the book during a book launch and signing at Community Mennonite Church, 325 W. Orange St., Lancaster, on First Friday, Dec. 5, starting at 7 p.m.